Does sex
really sell? Should we break the taboo and
talk about it more openly because we’re all adults after all. Or do we still refuse to talk about sex
because it’s ‘not the done thing’?

I watched
the Ann Summers advert the other night and thought about
how Jacqueline Gold has changed the way in which ‘sex for enjoyment’ has been
marketed. She has, in many ways, removed
the stereotypical view of seedy, back-street shops (think: men in raincoats)
and replaced it with an opportunity for women to take the lead and feel
empowered by working for a successful brand.
She has given women the opportunity to run their own business by holding
‘specialist’ parties at home for their friends and opened over 140 shops smack
bang (! Sorry, no pun intended) in the middle of our high streets selling sexy lingerie and other products (more here).

Ms Gold also
hasn’t forgotten the way in which the internet has allowed for a boom in
sales. The Ann Summers website has been
regenerated and you can buy all manner of sex toys online (do you see anything that tickles your fancy?) but it’s not about making something
sordid and disreputable more acceptable, it is, as Ms Gold says, “Fearlessly
Unleashing Sexual Confidence” (taken from Business Review online magazine :: pg 46) and finding an identity that is true
to yourself.

So, what
do you think? Should there be more
freedom to unleash our inner sex kitten or are you firmly in the “No Sex,
please, we’re British” camp?